ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — On Friday, May 1, public school workers from all over North Carolina will converge in Raleigh to take part in the Kids Over Corporations rally. According to the Buncombe County Association of Educators, over 100 local educators are projected to join in.
The Kids Over Corporations rally was organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators in protest of state legislature limiting public school funding. The protest will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, May 1 at Halifax Mall in Raleigh.
“North Carolina General Assembly is driving North Carolina, and especially our public schools, towards a fiscal cliff. We are the number one state in business, yet we are dead last in public school funding, and our teacher pay is close to last as well. So, we are going to Raleigh to the General Assembly,” said Shanna Peele, president of the BCAE.
According to Peele, the impact of reduced public school funding has already been felt in Asheville with the closure of Montford North Star Academy in 2024 and Asheville Primary School in 2022.
“We’re going to Raleigh to tell the General Assembly that enough is enough and we’re drawing the line in the sand,” Peele said.
BCAE will offer a shuttle service to Raleigh for educators who wish to join. Interested educators are asked to arrive at 5:30 a.m., Friday, May 1, at the Asheville Mall to board buses and carpools. The motorcade will depart at 6 a.m. sharp in order to arrive on time for the 11 a.m. protest. Peele estimated that over 100 local public school teachers and staff would be joining the rally.
Due to the number of Asheville City Schools staff members who have requested to take off the day of the rally, superintendent Maggie Fehrman has declared a teacher work day for May 1. In a letter posted to the Asheville City Schools Facebook page, Fehrman explained her decision and detailed the reasons for the protest.
“The school system cannot provide adequate supervision of students due to the volume of leave requests that have been submitted. I reviewed various options in lieu of closing schools. With such a high number of staff out of the building on a single day, ensuring we can appropriately monitor students becomes exceedingly challenging,” Fehrman wrote.
“We recognize that many educators feel compelled to participate in order to make their voices heard on issues affecting public education, including teacher pay, school funding and the recent Leandro decision developments.”
Fehrman said that local community groups will provide “food and fellowship” for students and their families on May 1 with details to come from school principals next week.
Meanwhile, Buncombe County Schools will remain in session the day of the rally.
“May 1 is a regular school day for Buncombe County Schools. Teachers are able to submit a request to use leave,” said Ken Ulmer, BCS chief communications officer, in a statement.
For Peele, the Kids Over Corporations protest is meaningful beyond the potential impact it could have on future legislation.
“This is deeply personal for me. You know, I grew up in Buncombe County Schools, I have three kids who attend Asheville City Schools, and as a special ed teacher who really got into this work because, I knew my kids need and deserve, more than what I’m able to give, this means a lot to me,” Peele said. “To hear all these community members reaching out and wanting to be a part of this, it’s very heart-filling, heartwarming. At the same time, I’m fired up. I’m ready to go and make a real difference here.”
For more about the Kids Over Corporations rally, visit www.ncae.org/about-ncae/media-center/press-releases/ncae-and-educators-across-north-carolina-march-state-capital.